We’re in the final days of the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show! If you haven’t had a chance to stop by yet, I’ll be here until the show closes at 6 p.m. Sunday.

As you already know, this year has marked my 20th anniversary at the Home and Garden Show, and it’s already been a memorable one. Many of you have already taken the time to visit me at the booth to say hello, including quite a few folks I hadn’t met before.

It’s not just about selling my artwork. The best thing about being here is reconnecting face-to-face with long-time friends as well as meeting so many wonderful new friends. I’ve heard many funny stories and many touching stories, some that have even made me cry. Just being at the show is a blessing… is it any wonder I’ve been coming back for 20 years?

This is also my time to listen and learn. I get so many amazing ideas for future paintings by talking to show visitors and hearing their suggestions – from portrait commissions, to new Pittsburgh scenes, to favorite Kennywood locales, I thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Speaking of Kennywood… I had an exciting day on Monday when I sold one of my original pastels, “Celebrating Kennywood’s Fall Fantasy.” My originals are very dear to me, but it warms my heart to place one in a happy home, knowing it will be bringing a smile to someone’s face every day.

Remember, there are just a few days left to take in the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show and especially to visit me at Booth #3146-8 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. I’ll be looking for you! Be sure to stop by and say hello.

Make sure you are the first to know about all of my news, appearances and any “special deals” I am offering to my subscribers, by taking the time to sign up for my weekly newsletters now. CLICK HERE to sign up. You will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.

At last, the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show has arrived! To say that I’m excited is an understatement! And for so many reasons – maybe it’s because this is my 20th year at the show… or the fact that Spring is finally predicted to arrive and bring better weather (fingers crossed for warmer temperatures and no snow for the next 10 days). Or maybe it was seeing old friends on the loading docks and on the show floor, with many of my fellow artist friends setting up right alongside of me in “Artists’ Row.”

Whatever is responsible, I’m certainly feeling inspired… and I’m looking forward to seeing many of you at the show this year. I’m at Booth #3146-8. To learn more about the show, visit my Calendar of Events.

PS… As this blog is being posted, there is only one copy left of “A Holiday Tradition”. So if you have your eye on that one, call me if you’d like to reserve this print before it’s offered to the public at the show. Please call my cell (412-722-9413) or shoot me an email at info@lindabarnicott.com so I can set it aside for you.

It’s hard to believe, but I’ve been writing my blog, almost every week now, for a little over a year and a half. Some of you have just joined me recently, while many of you have followed me for a long time. It means a lot to know that you’re out there reading my stories each and every week. If you enjoy hearing about my “adventures” and keeping up to date with my sales, I would love it if you would please tell others who might enjoy it, or my work, about my website and my blog.

Make sure you are the first to know about all of my news, appearances and any “special deals” I am offering to my subscribers, by taking the time to sign up for my weekly newsletters now. CLICK HERE to sign up. You will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.

Just before Christmas, I received a very special commission, and I’ve been working diligently on it over the last few weeks since I returned from Florida.

One of my clients had asked if I would paint a portrait of his parents. My goal was to make my subjects come alive, as if they could literally step out of the canvas. I wanted to create something that my client and his family would treasure for a lifetime.

To begin, I asked him for his favorite photo of them (the first thing I always request for portrait work), and he gave me an old studio shot of his parents. The photo was from the 1980s, and the colors had really changed and faded. Fortunately, he had enough supporting photos that I was able to find everything I needed to get the details just right.

I thought you might enjoy a little glimpse into how the finished portrait came together…

Me: “Hi R, here is the first draft. Each draft I will change the drawing to be more and more accurate. Please let me know your concerns as we go.”

R: “Superb! You are doing a great job! The detail is emerging quite nicely…”

“I am in awe when I see the wonderful work that you have done so far with their portrait. WOW!! How perfectly you captured both of them!”

“The more I study your work, the more I am convinced that what you have done is now looking far better than the photograph! The clarity, the dimension, the depth, the color tones are all right on the money. Mom looks as though she is ready to come alive and jump off the canvas…

As was already said, this is not only a WOW, but also a WOW! WOW!”

Because I love the challenge of capturing the real essence of my subject, a portrait is my favorite kind of art to create! If you or someone you know would treasure an original painted portrait of someone you love, let’s get together for a consultation. Just give me a call at (412) 722-9413 or send me an email info@lindabarnicott.com. Remember, good art takes time, so plan ahead if you want to commission a portrait to commemorate a special occasion.

PS – Coming next week – Big doings at the Home and Garden Show! Come see what my 20th year at the show looks like! The show runs from March 6th to March 15th at the David L Lawrence Convention Center (Booth 3146-8).

Make sure you are the first to know about all of my news, appearances and any “special deals” I am offering to my subscribers, by taking the time to sign up for my weekly newsletters now. CLICK HERE to sign up. You will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.

In only two short weeks, I’ll be celebrating my 20th year as an exhibitor at the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show. Looking back over all those years, I can honestly say every year has been good, and some I would even call great! Some years I’ve unveiled new paintings, and some years I took preorders for paintings that were yet to come. I’ve even sold out of many editions while exhibiting them during those 10 busy days at the Home and Garden Show.

Most of all, I like to remember the many friends and fans I’ve met there, and how quite a few of them actually started collecting my artwork from that show.

So naturally, as I was preparing for the show this week, I’ve been thinking about you, my subscribers. The people who read these blogs week after week, follow what’s new here in my studio, watch my paintings develop as I paint them, and hear my stories about them. I’ve decided to make a special offer to you, my most loyal fans – the opportunity to acquire the last of several editions before they’re sold out.

This year, I’ll be bringing four special prints to the Home and Garden Show. These prints are the last of their kind. There will be no more.

“A Holiday Tradition” – I’m bringing just two of these prints to the show. They are both artist-enhanced with pastels of Joseph Horne’s. One is being framed now, and the other will be unframed. These two prints are the very last of the entire edition.

“Hockey Fever at Mellon Arena” – Only eight prints of this artist-enhanced series are still available. One is being framed now, and seven will be unframed. These also are the last prints of the entire edition.

“Mazeroski’s Magical Moment” – I actually unveiled this painting at a previous Home Show, and it has always been special to me. Only 75 prints remain of the entire edition, each one signed by the great Maz himself!

“A Grand View of Pittsburgh” – From the entire edition of 500, less than 30 lithograph prints remain. It portrays the experience of people friends and family up to Mt. Washington. This is the end of the lithograph edition.

Are any of these prints on your wish list? If you’ve been thinking of adding one to your collection, please contact me in advance of the show, which begins on March 6th. I’ll be out of town next week, so if you’d like to reserve one of these prints before they’re offered to the public at the show, please call my cell (412-722-9413) or shoot me an email so I can set one aside for you.

Make sure you are the first to know about all of my news, appearances and any “special deals” I am offering to my subscribers, by taking the time to sign up for my weekly newsletters now. CLICK HERE to sign up. You will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.

Can you believe it’s going back down into single digits again this week? I guess that’s what you get when they let a stupid rodent predict 6 more weeks of winter weather!

I know I’m really tired of the snow and ice and cold temperatures by mid-Feburary, and I’ll bet you are too! Luckily, I have a surefire way to cure my winter blues by getting ready for the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show. All my show preparations remind me that Spring is just around the corner – from ordering the U-Haul to writing the checks for my booth carpeting and electrical service, to ordering my framing and giftware. Because I know that in a couple short weeks, I’ll be surrounded by signs of the coming season.

I’m proud to say that 2015 marks my 20th anniversary as an exhibitor at the Home and Garden Show, but I’ll never forget my first time all those years ago! Back then, the show was held in the old convention center, and my booth was on the second floor. Other artists and galleries were located on the third floor, but I’d heard it on good authority that folks often never made it up to the third floor, and if they did, by that time they were tired and grumpy!

So I requested my space on the second floor… which means I was placed right there between windows and bathtubs. That just meant I had to work extra hard to get the people who were looking at home improvements to notice me! Sometimes I would even dance in the aisle to attract people to come over and see my booth.

The result was that I had fun and learned a lot about the ins and outs of exhibiting in a big show. It was my first experience as an artist meeting so many people in a short period of time, and it was a life-changing experience for a young artist out on her own. I fell in love with the show, and to this day, it’s my favorite show of the year.

As I mentioned, the 2015 Home and Garden Show is extra special to me, as it’s my 20th anniversary year. So get ready – I’ll be making a Super Special Home and Garden Show offer for my favorite clients (that would be YOU!). Save the dates – March 6th through the 15th – and come visit me at Booth #3146-3148. Let’s see if we can defy the groundhog and bring spring back to Pittsburgh a couple weeks sooner!

Be one of the first to hear about my Super Special Home and Garden Show offer for my favorite clients by taking the time now to sign up for my weekly newsletters now. As a subscriber you will receive information about all of my appearances, my latest paintings and special offers only for subscribers! CLICK HERE to sign up. You will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.

Yes, it’s too early for the first robin, and the days are still short and cold. But I’m feeling warmer already because last night I attended an event that to me is the “First Sign of Spring”.

Every February for the last 20 years, I’ve attended a meeting for exhibitors at the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show. I think I must be the only veteran of the show who actually turns up every year for this meeting! In fact, I’ve heard it so many times I could probably offer Executive Director John DeSantis some assistance in delivering the program. It’s really intended for newbies exhibiting at the Home Show for the first time, but I attend every year because I find it so inspiring and energizing. Every year I get more great ideas on how to make the next show better than the last.

The show is located at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and runs from Friday, March 6th until Sunday, March 15th. With over 10 acres of exhibits, this will be the biggest year ever! My booth will be in my usual spot (#3146-8) at the end of the aisle near the escalators.

I’m doing something new this year – a special wall featuring smaller giclees of many of my pieces. These are the very same prints I approved at the printers before the edition run. These are truly one-of-a-kind pieces, real artists’ proofs, each one unique. They’ll be available on a first-come, first-served basis, so be sure to come early in the show if you want to see them! Of course, as always, I’ll have my full line of art and gifts that I’ll be happy to personalize for you.

Because 2015 marks my 20th year as an exhibitor, I will be featuring some special offers and promotions to celebrate. Just follow my weekly emails for the latest and greatest. For my out-of-town friends, don’t worry! I’ll have an online special just for you… so stay tuned!

PS – There are only 3 spots left for my art classes next month, so don’t delay! The class is a soft pastel workshop hosted at my studio in Bethel Park. Classes will begin on Monday, March 23rd and will run for 5 weeks from 7 to 9 pm, plus a half hour before and after for set-up and clean-up. The cost is $30.00 per class and a total of $150.00 for all 5 classes. There will be a makeup class on May 11th if you miss one. A list of required art supplies will be sent out a few weeks prior to class. Call me at 1-888-PITT-ART (1-888-748-8278) or email me at info@lindabarnicott.com to register.

Make sure you are the first to know about all of my news, appearances and any “special deals” I am offering to my subscribers, by taking the time to sign up for my weekly newsletters now. CLICK HERE to sign up. You will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.

After my relaxing Florida vacation, I’ve had a busy week of catching up, and at last things are more or less back in order here in my studio. I have just a few more orders to fill, some loose ends to wrap up, and I’ll be ready to jump back into creating new art and launching new projects. 2015 promises to be a very busy year full of exciting challenges and new and different paths to follow.

As I mentioned last week, I’m really excited about the Forbes Hospital history wall project. It’s thrilling to take on a commission like this – so meaningful to the hospital and the community, and certainly on a grander scale than anything I’ve ever done. In the coming weeks, I’ll be laying the groundwork for this very big (literally!) project.

I’m also beginning a new portrait commission. And later this year, I’m starting a completely new series of paintings… but you’ll have to wait to hear the details!

Speaking of future projects, can you believe the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show is just around the corner? It will be held at the Pittsburgh Convention Center, Downtown Pittsburgh March 6th thru the 15th. Yes, spring is coming!

So here’s the big news I can’t wait to share with you this week – In the spring (after I recover from the Home Show!), I will be offering art classes. The first class will be a group format and will run five weeks on Monday evenings from March 23rd to April 20th. Classes will be approximately two hours plus an extra half hour or so before and after for set-up and tear-down.

In these classes, you’ll have the opportunity to draw and paint with soft pastels. It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner to pastels (or if you’ve never painted anything other than an apartment), or if you’re a veteran artist who would enjoy a fun and relaxing night out. We won’t be painting “with a twist,” but I can offer you some of the best tea, coffee and cocoa in town!

You decide what you want to paint – portraits or pets, landscapes or cityscapes… and I’ll be there to help guide you through the entire creative process. n the first class, we’ll all paint the same piece from photographs, but after that, you can bring your own resources or use some of mine. The cost for this introductory series will be $30.00 per class, and I’ll provide you with a supply list so you can come prepared. I’ll also have a Pastel Bar available if you need a color you don’t have.

Class size will be limited. If you’re interested, please call me (412-283-4072) or send me an email at info@lindabarnicott.com.

Make sure you are the first to know about all of my news, appearances and any “special deals” I am offering to my subscribers, by taking the time to sign up for my weekly newsletters now. CLICK HERE to sign up. You will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.

Happy New Year from my studio to your home! I hope your holidays were filled with joy, and if you gifted a loved one with my art, I hope they enjoyed it.

I just got back from my much-needed vacation in Destin and Panama City Beach, Florida. We actually had a few 20 degree nights, but that was still better than your single-digit days!

In the spirit of really getting away from it all, this was a non-painting vacation, but I couldn’t help myself, imagining all sorts of painting adventures for another day. Some of you have mentioned that I should paint Florida, and I have in the past; for example, one of my favorite paintings is “Sea Oats at Hillsboro Lighthouse,” which you can check out on my website, by clicking here.

But that’s not the BIG NEWS! What I really can’t wait to tell you about is taking on my Biggest Project Ever (and I mean that literally)! I’ve been chosen by Forbes Hospital to create the art work for their history wall. This commission has been in the works for quite some time, and we got the greenlight right before Christmas!

I’ll be meeting soon with Forbes CEO Reese Jackson to discuss what will be featured in the painting, including the history and vision of Forbes Hospital and its relationship to the community, its volunteers and supporters, and its interfaith ministries. I will be painting it with my pastels at one-quarter size, but the final project will be 10′ x 40′,” making it truly the Biggest Project I’ve ever done! I hope you’ll send positive thoughts and prayers for me as I create this wonderful piece of local history.

Best to you in the New Year!

Why not take the time now to sign up for my weekly newsletters now. As a subscriber you will receive information about all of my appearances, my latest paintings and special offers only for subscribers! CLICK HERE to sign up. You will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.

Time flies, and I here I am down at the Holiday Market in Market Square as we go into our final week. We close up shop on December 23rd, just in time to spend the holidays with family and friends. And not a moment too soon… I’ve been teasing Tom that he’ll need to reintroduce me as the minister’s wife when I return to our new church on Christmas!

Today I opened early at the chalet so I could be interviewed by KDKA’s Jon Burnett for the show Pittsburgh Live Today. It was a great interview and really showed off my art to its best advantage! Then after Jon and I were finished, I was interviewed by Rick Dayton for the KDKA Noon News. It was quite an ego boost to see myself on the news twice in one day!

One of my favorite parts of the interview was sharing what a wonderful asset the Holiday Market has been for our Pittsburgh community and what a unique and festive attraction it is for local families and for visitors to our city from all across the country, and even around the world!

This has been my third year at the Holiday Market, and I think it’s the best one yet! I’ve had happy reunions with old friends and made many new ones. If you haven’t had the opportunity to experience Santa’s House and the many beautiful and festive chalets with holiday merchandise from many lands, hurry on down to Market Square… and don’t forget to drop by and say hello! I’ll have just what you need for that perfect Pittsburgh gift!

Wishing a happy holiday to you and yours!

Make sure you are the first to know about all of my holiday appearances and any “special deals” I am offering to my subscribers, by taking the time to sign up for my weekly newsletters now. CLICK HERE to sign up. You will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.

As you may have guessed from the subject line, I have some interesting stories to share with you this week!

As we enter the home stretch to Christmas and Hanukkah, I’m touched and humbled by the number of visitors to the Pittsburgh Holiday Market who are aware of my artwork. I’m also blessed with many friends and family members who are willing to help out at my little chalet in Market Square. Thanks to them, I’m able to take a break when needed to warm up and have a little something at the nearby Dunkin’ Donuts.

However, my occasional absences have led to some very odd conversations back at the chalet…

For example, now I understand how Mark Twain felt when he said “the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,” because twice now this year I’ve been given up for dead!

For example, one deeply concerned woman approached my friend Katie at the chalet, asking in a hushed whisper, “Is she still with us?” Katie assured her that I was… though if I keep taking my breaks in a donut shop, I may be tempting fate!

On another occasion, a man approached my daughter, Brittany, and said, “I heard Linda died in a plane crash.” Flabbergasted, she assured the good gentleman that I was still very much alive and that she had just spoken with me on the phone. “Are you sure?” he asked. Britt just smiled.

It’s funny how people you haven’t met hear about you and picture you in their imaginations. When I was younger, most people who met me imagined me as taller and older. Of course, now that I’m in my 50s, they only say that they thought I would be taller! Though I am indeed older (but still quite short!), I’m thrilled to be at Market Square this season, meeting folks from all over Pittsburgh, the United States… and even the world.

If you haven’t had a chance this season to visit the Holiday Market at Market Square and see all the wonderful chalets (and Santa!), I hear this coming weekend is going to be sunny and the temps will be rising. I would really love to see each and every one of you!

May your days be filled with joy!

Why not take the time now to sign up for my weekly newsletters now. As a subscriber you will receive information about all of my appearances, my latest paintings and special offers only for subscribers! CLICK HERE to sign up. You will also receive a FREE slideshow showing the step-by-step development of my painting, “Celebrating Time and Tradition at Macy’s”.